The AMSOIL/Mopar Muscle Dyno Showdown – Numbers Don’t Lie

Check out these five power-proven rides.

Everybody wants to know what their car is actually capable of — some might not admit it, but everyone does. Whether proving your corner-carving prowess, blasting down the quarter-mile, or strapping your car to a dyno, everybody wants to know. When it comes to horsepower, there are a lot of guys who will announce how much power they think their car will make, but only a few are actually willing to put their power where their mouth is. If there is one way to gain bragging rights, it’s to put your car to the test on the dyno.

Each year at the Nats, we team up with AMSOIL to give you guys the chance to spin the dyno roller so you can get an actual horsepower number for your car. It’s a great event, and hundreds of people stop by and check out the action while it’s going on.

If you have a Mopar, you’re welcome to enter the contest—well, you can enter next year’s challenge. So keep your eyes open for announcements in upcoming issues of Mopar Muscle and on our website and Facebook pages.

Jack Irons – ’92 Dodge Ram

Jack Irons, from Ortonville, Michigan, is a Chrysler employee, and has been playing with Mopars for as long as he can remember. When Jack showed up at our showdown, he said he wasn’t planning to break the dyno, but admitted that it looked like it would be a fun time.

Jack’s Ram is equipped with a 5.9 Cummins diesel engine, so you can guess what class he was entered in. The Ram might have 103,000 miles on it, but in Diesel-speak, it’s just getting broke in. Other than a 4-inch exhaust, the Ram is completely stock. Even the paint and interior are original. With the Diesel and the 3.54-geared Dana 70 in the rear, Jack managed 377 lb-ft of torque. Even though he can haul anything that he wants, he still gets 23 mpg.

Bob Hess – ’10 Challenger

Bob’s Yellow screamer joined the fun in our Non Power Adder class. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any information from Bob about his car, but we did notice that the 5.7 Hemi was aided but just a few, simple bolt ons. The 344 horsepower isn’t bad from a mostly stock Challenger, and with an accompanying 361 lb-ft of torque, we’re sure that the challenger gives Bob more fun than he can handle — OK, maybe not more…

Matt Koops – ’69 Daytona

Talk about something not expected! Matt Koops hails from Lakeland, Florida, and found this — and another Daytona — stashed in a barn in Northern Florida. He purchased both cars, and even though the green one didn’t have a drivetrain, two weeks before the Nats, he borrowed a 440 with a 727 bolted to it, an 83⁄4 rear, and bolted them in the car just to go to the Nats. We were surprised, as only a small amount of rust fell off of the car during the dyno runs. We wish that we had more info, but Matt managed a respectable 320 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque.

Bill Eller – ’69 Road Runner

Unfortunately, we didn’t get much information from Bill, but what we do know is that his convertible ’Runner is equipped with a Hemi and a four-speed. When looking under the hood, everything looks perfectly stock except for the Mopar Performance/MSD electronic ignition box, and distributor. By looking at the car, one can see that it is your basic convertible cruiser that was put together for sunny day fun. When the dyno roller stopped going around, Bill’s ’Runner managed 329 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque.

Gary Stepp – ’67 Coronet

If you want to draw a crowd, put a bright red ’67 Coronet on the dyno and let the rpm fly. Gary’s Coronet is chock full of 440 power, and even though we also didn’t get much information from Gary, we do know that the car has an MSD ignition, a Victor 440 intake and Holley carburetor, and a set of aluminum heads. The 727 is floor-shifted, and the rear is an 83⁄4. Gary did manage 402 horsepower and 408 lb-ft of torque.

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